Long Island man whose nose was bitten off sees incredible transformation thanks to 3D-printed replica

CBS News

2 days ago

A Long Island man is sharing his incredible transformation after his nose was bitten off in a fight.
He says he was coming to the rescue of a stranger when the unthinkable happened.
"He just bit my nose off"
Tyson Carter says he was at a Brentwood bus stop back in January when he witnessed a young woman being badgered by two men trying to lure her into a car.
"After a few minutes, I finally just piped up and was like, 'You know, you're making her feel uncomfortable,'" Carter said.
A fight erupted.
"He was like on top of me, and at some point, he just ... bit my nose off," Carter said.
"My heart just dropped," mother June Carter said.
His mother feared he could not recover with three-quarters of his nose gone.
"Just because someone spoke up, that was way beyond horrible, horrific what they did to my son," she said.
Suffolk County Police say all three people involved in the dispute declined to press charges and did not cooperate with the police investigation.
"He's like the Michael Jordan of reconstruction"
Months later, Tyson Carter has seen life-changing results thanks to an old technique perfected with modern technology by surgeons at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
"The idea is to take the piece of skin from the forehead and flip it to the nose," Dr. Laurent Ganry said.
Then, a 3D printer recreated the nose with clay to provide a template for refining the skin in surgeries three weeks apart.
Tyson Carter's rebuilt nose is nearly an exact replica.
A Long Island man is sharing his incredible transformation after his nose was bitten off in a fight.
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"It's not an incredible case for what we do every day, but the results is quite, quite incredible," Ganry said.
"He's like the Michael Jordan of reconstruction," Tyson Carter said. "People who haven't seen me for a while ... they really can't tell."
"I am amazed at how well his nose looks and how some of the scarring has faded," June Carter said.
Now able to wear glasses again, Tyson Carter faces one last surgery to help him breathe, but he says what matters most is breathing easier about the woman he stood up for.
"The important thing is she's safe," he said.
Tyson Carter hasn't been able to work between all the surgeries, but when he does return, he won't be returning to the bus stop. His mother says she will drive him wherever he needs to go.